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Lions Watch | RugbyDump's Six Nations round one British and Irish Lions 23

BY Philip Bendon  ·  Tuesday Feb 4, 2025

Storming through as quickly as January’s Storm Éowyn, round one of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations was a whirlwind affair.

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Rounded out by three dominant bonus point victories by France, Scotland and Ireland, round one set up a Grand Slam eliminator at Murrayfield in round two when Ireland come to town.

France will travel to Twickenham bidding to derail the French machine, whilst Wales, fresh off a week of training in Nice, will be hoping to end their torrid run of defeats against a rejuvenated Italy.

As ever in a British and Irish Lions season, all of the discussion post the weekend’s action immediately shifts to which players staked their claims for places in Andy Farrell’s squad.

Picking exclusively from players who played in round one, here is RugbyDump’s form Lions squad.

1. Andrew Porter – Ireland
Once again exceptional for a long stint on the pitch (73 minutes), Porter looked back to his best scrummaging-wise and was once again a dynamo with the ball in hand.

2. Dan Sheehan – Ireland
Best hooker in the world? We certainly think so! Capable of executing the basics to a world-class standard and with more than a sprinkling of magic dust, Sheehan’s absence in November was all the more pronounced by his second-half showing in round one.

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3. Zander Fagerson – Scotland
Undoubtedly set to face a major challenge from Tadhg Furlong when he returns to fitness, the Scottish tighthead has developed into one of the very best in the world. Against a dynamic Italian pack he more than held his own and brings so much around the park as a ball player, he is a shoe-in for our team.

4. Maro Itoje – England
One of the tighter calls, given how impressive James Ryan and Jonny Gray were for their respective teams, the England skipper gets in following his confrontational showing against Ireland.

5. Tadhg Beirne – Ireland
Ireland’s key utility forward is beginning to look more like an out-and-out lock than a hybrid backrow in his later career years. Getting his hands on the ball more often in the tight exchanges whilst being a constant threat at the breakdown, Beirne is another nailed-on starter in our pack.

6. Jac Morgan – Wales
Controversial given the impact of Jack Conan for Ireland (we are holding him in reserve for the final 20 minutes). The Welsh skipper alongside fellow backrow Tommy Reffell and lock Dafydd Jenkins, were the only players who did not look out of their depth or passed their best against Les Bleus in Paris. We have opted to shift him to six with a view to countering the dangerous Wallabies poachers.

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7. Josh van der Flier – Ireland
Playing his best ball at 31-years-old, the Leinster backrow was once again impervious against England. Topping the tackle charts (20), carrying hard and linking well as a distributor, van der Flier did it all on Saturday.

8. Caelan Doris – Ireland
A complete no-brainer, the Irish captain is levels above any other number eight in the British and Irish Isles at the present moment. Confrontational, physical and crucially smart, Doris is our captain for the tour.

9. Jamison Gibson-Park – Ireland
If Antoine Dupont wasn’t a rugby player, the Irish Nine would be the very best in the world. Whilst the French skipper is clearly the best player in the world at the moment, JGP is just a hair behind him as the second-best scrumhalf in test rugby.

10. Jack Crowley – Ireland
Head and shoulders above any other eligible flyhalf in round one, Crowley was immense when he came off the bench for Ireland. Flipping the script for the Irish attack, the Munster star got his team humming with his physicality and decisiveness. Still just 24-years-old, Crowley will only get better and has proven his aptitude as a test animal.

11. James Lowe – Ireland
Growing ever more important for Ireland, Lowe is in a sweet spot of his career where physically he remains elite and cerebrally he is on another level. Barging over Tommy Freeman and Alex Mitchell to set up Irish tries, the Leinster was supreme against a fellow Lions contender in Freeman.

12. Ollie Lawrence – England
Certainly, an argument could be made for either Robbie Henshaw or Bundee Aki here, but the England centre was far and away the best player for his team in round one. Bringing a hard edge and directness to the England backline, Lawrence looked the most likely England back to get over the gain line. In our opinion for the England attack to go up a gear, Lawrence needs to become more a feature as a hard hitting first receiver with either Marcus or Fin Smith running in behind.

13. Huw Jones – Scotland
Edging out the superb Garry Ringrose as our choice at outside centre, Scotland’s hattrick hero was the difference for his side against Italy. Running textbook trail lines and showing his finishing prowess, Jones brings x-factor to our midfield. Linking with Lawrence he will get a similar platform to the one he enjoys when Sione Tuipulotu is fit and firing.

14. Darcy Graham – Scotland
Although Jones hogged the headlines, the Scottish pocket rocket was the orchestrator for his side. Beating 11 defenders (yes, you read that right), Graham reminded everyone why he sits only behind Duhan van der Merwe on the Scottish try-scoring charts. If he remains fit, he feels like a dark horse for the player of the Championship.

15. Blair Kinghorn – Scotland
Blair ‘Airborn’ Kinghorn ruled the Edinburgh skies with such authority that the Italians all but stopped kicking his way. Since joining Toulouse, Kinghorn has had the platform to prove that he is one of the best players in the world. Thus, he was the clear choice for us in round one ahead of Hugo Keenan, who was steady without being spectacular.

Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Pierre Schoeman, 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. James Ryan, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Rory Darge, 22. Ben White, 23. Marcus Smith

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